While the NFL and NFLPA spent the past several weeks pointing fingers at each other, both sides of the league’s labor issue forgot about the little guy.
The little guys I’m referring to are those people whose jobs are directly tied to the NFL; the parking attendants, concession workers, ticket handlers, security personnel and many others.
As the players and owners argue about how to split a $9 billion pie, not one of them seems to be cognizant of how this labor unrest effects the guy who desperately needs the income.
Now that the billionaires have locked out the millionaires, the woman making $50,000 working in the administrative offices for one of the franchises will likely have to take a pay cut, or might even lose her job.
I’d be willing to bet there hasn’t been one owner or player that has even bothered to discuss the thousands of people who could lose their jobs as a result of the NFL’s labor issues.
The little guy always gets the shaft in situations like this. The NFL’s labor problems are no different than any other industry when the CEO’s of corporations keep their jobs making millions while the guy earning $15 an hour gets laid off.
The NFL is different in that both the owners and players bemoan the fact they aren’t making enough money, but they have plenty of cash in reserve to withstand a work stoppage, or at least they should.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been heralded for being a man of his word, taking a pay cut from $10 million annually to $1.
But let’s face it, Goodell has plenty in the bank and doesn’t have to worry if he can afford to keep the lights on or put food on the table.
In contrast to the billionaire owners and millionaire players, the Kansas City Chiefs will impose across the board salary reductions of less than 10% during this prolonged work stoppage.
If you work for the New York Jets, the lockout means non-contract employees are now required to take one week off per month without pay.
The Green Bay Packers haven’t initiated pay cuts yet, but vice president of administration Jason Wied said cuts are likely in the future.
And all league personnel at NFL headquarters, NFL Films, the NFL Network and NFL.com will be forced to take pay cuts as well.
When you hear Goodell or NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith announce that they have worked hard to arrive at a new deal, don’t believe it.
The fact is, both sides in this labor dispute have had ample time to get a new deal done. But now that the NFL and NFLPA say they continue to have differences, that means the owners and players are arguing over a few hundred million dollars.
A few hundred million out of a $9 billion pie sounds like a lot of money, but for the average guy it doesn’t boil down to that.
Those few hundred million dollars that keeps the owners and players from reaching a new CBA is nothing compared to the few hundred dollars the average employee is going to lose, because those few dollars could be the difference between keeping a roof over their heads or not.
If the NFL and NFLPA really want to take a stand for something that matters, each side will present a plan that ensures non-contract employees are guaranteed to keep their jobs during work stoppages without loss of pay.
And think of the public relations boon each side could get from championing such a cause. If the owners forced a lockout because the players wouldn’t agree to such a deal, then the owners would win in the court of public opinion.
The same holds true for the players, and to be honest they should be the group that presents such a plan.
If they really want to put pressure on the owners and the league to do what’s best for the game, they’ll ensure everyone – not just themselves and the players – but all of the people who depend on the NFL for their livelihoods would be taken care of.
The little guy is an issue worth fighting for, and everything else is bullshit.
